Next month's inflation-rate rise in the controversial Air Passenger Duty (APD) airport departure tax will be delayed until April 2012, Chancellor George Osborne has announced.

He said the Government would now seek to impose the tax on private jets.

But plans to replace APD with a per-plane tax have been shelved for the time being after Mr Osborne announced that all the options being pursued had turned out to be illegal under international law.

First introduced in 1994, APD has been increased on a regular basis, with a hike last November putting rates up as high as £170 per passenger for those going on the longest flights.

Mr Osborne said the Government was consulting on reform of APD and he cited the difficulties of the current scheme by telling MPs that APD assumed that the Caribbean was further away from the UK than California. cont./Courtesy of:UK Press Association

At 7.30 on Thursday evening local hiking enthusiasts, Jerry Brisbane and Clement Rabess arrived at Fort Shirley, Cabrits National Park, ending their six day hike across Dominica and thus becoming the first Dominicans to complete the whole of the 115 mile Waitukubuli National Trail (WNT) from one end to the other.

They were greeted by their wives, staff of the WNT, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr. Samuel Carrette, and other supporters.

During a short ceremony Mr. Carrette presented the hikers with wood carvings by craftsman Francis Richards depicting the logo of the WNT and a map of Dominica as a trophy of their achievement.

The Director of the WNT Project Mr. Eddie Henry was the first to congratulate the two man team as they walked in from the darkness of the forest on the Cabrits to complete segment 14, the last segment of the trail. cont./

HOLLYWOOD, FL—When Olivia Williams talks about Dominica it’s sheer superlatives and adjectives. Ooh’s and aah’s followed by words like “amazing”, “impressive” and “wonderful”. Olivia’s genuine love for Dominica and the excitement that fills her every time she talks about the island give the superlatives and adjectives a certain sincerity and honesty that makes you want to visit. She poured her connection to the island into a book.

“Poetic Island” is a collection of short stories from her life on the Island; it was released on January 4, 2011 with an Official Book Launching event in Roseau, Dominica. “Dominica is a diamond in the rough and with my stories I give readers a personal perspective to the island. This is not a tourist guide, but a perspective by someone who truly loves the island. When someone recommends that a visitor go to Victoria Falls, my book tells them about the people whose land you have to cross to get there. I pinpoint those personal things, to bring a personal feel to the island,” she says. cont./Courtesy of:The Westside Gazette

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that a sum of $6.5 million has been allocated for the commencement of construction of a new state house for the president.

He disclosed this while presenting his $54-million supplementary estimates bill at the First Session of the Eight Parliament this morning.

Minister of National Security Charles Savarin, in his remarks at the House, placed support behind the prime minister’s request for these supplementary estimates, particularly for the much talked about $27 million state house.

“This government has found it necessary for the after 30 plus years of independence to establish a structure which can embody the independence and pride of the people of Dominica to house the head of state to provide offices for the discharge of the functions of the head of state, in addition, to provide office accommodation for all the commissions under the supervision of the president- the public service commission the police service commission, the integrity commission, the electoral commission,” he stated at this morning’s sitting. cont./Courtesy of:Dominica News Online

Sunday, 13 March 2011

All members of the 2011 Salisbury Reunion Committee, Business Owners and other interested villagers are invited to a General Reunion Meeting this Sunday 13th March 2011, at the Salisbury Primary School, at 4:30pm.This meeting is to update you on the upcoming 2011 Salisbury Reunion.

(Host) The mystery surrounding the whereabouts of Governor Peter Shumlin over the past five days has been solved.

Shumlin says he went on a brief vacation to the Caribbean island of Dominica. He says he kept the location a secret because he went without state police security.

VPR's Bob Kinzel reports:

(Kinzel) Usually when a governor travels out of state, they're accompanied by a state police security detail. This was the case when Governor Shumlin made a recent trip to Washington D.C. for the winter meeting of the National Governor's Association.

But Shumlin deviated from this long standing policy when he took a short vacation late last week.

Last Friday, his press aides originally said they didn't know where the governor had gone. Then they said they did know but the information wouldn't be made public for privacy reasons.

Standing at a Transportation Agency maintenance garage, Shumlin told reporters he visited the small Caribbean island of Dominica. He says he kept it a secret because he traveled with no security. He says that's something former Colorado governor Bill Ritter encouraged him to do at a training program for new governors last November. cont./Courtesy of:VPR News

Wednesday, 9 March 2011

The Real Mas 2011 is now something in the past. Like last year, this year’s Carnival Costume Parade was diverse, fun, colourful, political, and commercial; but most importantly it was LOUD and it was ORIGINAL!

I would like give a special shout-out to all the Queen Contestants, Calypsonians, Teens, Princesses, Costume Band Organizers, and everyone else who helped to make the Carnival Costume Parade, and the whole 2011 Carnival Season a great success.

Site preparation work for a four star hotel in the north of the island in progress...

Work on a fifty-room four star hotel financed through grant funds by the kingdom of morocco has commenced on a four point six acre property known as sunshine village between the Cabrits and Lagoon, Portsmouth.

Over the past two weeks heavy equipment has been clearing the site and demolishing abandoned buildings in preparation for actual construction work.

The site has also been secured with all necessary fencing.

Hon. Minister for Tourism and Legal Affairs, Ian Douglas, told GIS news the site chosen for such a massive hotel development is ideal.

He says once this hotel is constructed it will serve to attract cruise ships and provide for increased yacht arrivals in the town of Portsmouth.

“The area lends itself to tourism development. Way back in 1968/69, there was a report that was commissioned called Sankla and Corks report and many other reports that have been done throughout that period have always named the northern area in general with specific areas around Portsmouth. This is because of its geographical features: it is flat, it borders the Caribbean Sea which is usually calm, and the swampy nature of the Cabrits especially as far as marine development and yachting is concerned. All of these factors make the entire Lagoon, Purple Turtle, Belle Hall and Cotton Hill area ideal for the development of tourism related ventures.” cont./

Friday, 4 March 2011

Snorkeling has a wild side, and in the Caribbean, there’s nothing wilder than the island of Dominica. When you swim out from smooth-stoned Champagne Beach, passing through iridescent schools of diminutive fish, you soon reach the bizarre sight of bubbles streaming up from the seafloor. Duck under and reach into the rock fissures, and your hand enters the earth’s molten womb, which very recently gave birth to Domi­nica and isn’t quite sure it’s done with its offspring yet – as evidenced by the island’s nine active volcanoes. It’s easy to become intoxicated by Champagne’s fizz – you’ll finally empathize with the fishbowl guppy’s eternal gape at a bubbling plastic treasure chest – but this extensive snorkel site offers a lot more than hot air.

Out beyond the moonscape rocks and the startling-yellow sponges that surround Cham­pagne’s thermal vents, the marine life grows to almost absurd proportions and in dizzying diversity. You’ll find that Dominica under­water is as much a Jurassic Park experience as Dominica topside. Sea urchins – still rare throughout much of the Caribbean after a dev­astating die-off – live plentifully here, which keeps the reef much healthier than many other sites. Local snorkel guides will point out life-list all-stars like frogfish and enough seahorses to run the Derby. Pay attention, and you’ll be rewarded with both the largest and the smallest specimens of marine life you’ve ever seen, including tiny, jewel­like juvenile fish of every kind. Rock and reef crevices sprout armies of thick-tentacled sea anemones, and gaudy red-and-white shrimp stand guard at innumerable fish-cleaning stations. cont./

The UK Border Agency completed a global review of UK Visa requirements for visitors coming to the country last year...

As a result of the review, the government considered introducing UK Visa regimes for two countries in the eastern Caribbean - St Lucia and Dominica.

However, yesterday a joint Written Ministerial Statement signed by the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary, was laid in Parliament stating that a visa regime would not be introduced to St Lucia and Dominica.

Dominica and St Lucia have made concrete improvements to the immigration, border control and identity systems which would not have happened without the UK review. In recognition of the progress made, visitors from Dominica and St Lucia will therefore continue to be able to travel to the UK without the need for a visa. cont./Courtesy of:UK Visa Bureau

Countries I have visited...

Dominica - Christmas Cards

Book - Dominica...NEW RELEASE!!!2nd Edition

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Welcome

The Nature Island Blog...

Dominica should not be confused with the Dominican Republic.Dominica is located between French-controlled Martinique and Guadeloupe in the eastern Caribbean.

The official name of the island is 'Commonwealth of Dominica' Dominica's pre-Columbian name wasWai'tu kubuli, which means 'tall is her body'...Dominica is referred as the 'Nature Island', where two-thirds of the island are home to the tropical rain forests and thousands of plant species.

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